A New Home for Macdonald Youth Services

New therapeutic centre to open on Mayfair in Winnipeg

Jim Krovats first got involved with Macdonald Youth Services (MYS) three years ago, but his community involvement goes back much further. This includes significant time giving back by coaching hockey. Jim works as a member of MYS’ board of directors, while his full-time job is as a vice president and investment advisor with RBC. Jim saw MYS as a way to make a difference.

The program promotes hope, empowerment and healing for its clients, while providing them opportunities to grow and through safe, caring and respectful relationships.

“MYS helps kids who really need help,” said Jim. “It allows kids to move forward and do positive things, which every kid wants to do. And MYS helps them.”

In the past, MYS has seen their programs scattered around the city at different locations, meaning that in order for youth to get the care they need it could take more than one trip. That all stands to change with the new building.

“There was no privacy or space and no modern facilities. The upgrade was really overdue,” said Jim. “So many kids were using multiple services that were in multiple locations.”

MYS Executive Director Erma Chapman has been with the organization since 2001. Since then, she has witnessed tremendous growth, with that growth coming in response to need.

“The old locations were built to live in, not work in,” sad Erma. “The kitchens allowed us to teach cooking, but not other skills. There’s a lack of privacy in the current therapy rooms, but the new therapy rooms are being designed specifically as therapy rooms, enabling us to promote healing and empowerment.”

Jim says the new location allows for centralizing of assets.

“We’re going to be able to work with more kids in a better environment.”

A new place to call home

“We’ve grown out of our old facilities on Mayfair, and the new facilities will offer new and enhanced services. We can now bring our people together, which is huge in allowing us to cut down wait times.”

Erma says that the new building will act as a base of operations that allows MYS to reach out to new regions beyond Winnipeg to work to meet needs outside the city. MYS is already in Thompson and The Pas.

The new MacDonald Youth Services building is slated to be completed in mid-2017.